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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24986029">Dinner Date</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nuka_After_Dark/pseuds/Nuka_After_Dark'>Nuka_After_Dark</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fallout 4 Ficlets, Drabbles, and One-shots [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blind Betrayal spoilers, F/M, Fluff, Nora cannot cook to save her life, Post-Blind Betrayal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:29:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>843</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24986029</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nuka_After_Dark/pseuds/Nuka_After_Dark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nora tries to hard to be a good wife, but sometimes her cooking can leave something to be desired.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor, Paladin Danse/Sole Survivor (Fallout)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fallout 4 Ficlets, Drabbles, and One-shots [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1807771</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Dinner Date</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nora was humming when Danse entered the kitchen behind her, her head down as she worked at the stove, her song interrupted now and then when she whispered to herself, adding pinches and dashes from the marked jars above the wood stove, the spoon constantly moving in the pot. He watched her for a moment, already feeling more himself without even seeing her smiling face yet.</p><p>“Something smells delicious,” he finally commented, watching as she leaped nearly a foot in the air. He was smiling again as she whirled around, the spoon tight in her hand.</p><p>“Danse! You scared me half to death!” She laughed, her eyes laughing with her, and Danse no longer had to worry. The voice in his head, the one that had been telling him he would never be good enough for her, had vanished for the moment. “Now go wash up and wear something nice.”</p><p>“What are you working on?” He stepped into the kitchen only to be blocked by the woman with her spoon.</p><p>“Ah-ah! Shoo!” She was smiling again. “It’s a surprise for you. Now go.”</p><p>—-</p><p>Alone with his thoughts again Danse fully expected them to wander. He would have expected them to fall back to telling him he was undeserving, unloveable, a true monster. Instead they kept wandering back to Nora as she had stood in the kitchen, her eyes smiling along with the rest of her.</p><p>Danse found that he was smiling as well as he ran the wet rag over his face, wiping away the days dirt and sweat. He was still smiling as he slipped into a clean shirt and pants, and he was still smiling as he re-entered the kitchen just in time to watch Nora setting the pot down on the old table set for two.</p><p>“Surprise,” she said as she tossed her hands up to her shoulders, her fingers splayed open. Danse stared at them, wondering if she might let him slip his own fingers between them later. “I made us dinner.”</p><p>“It smells delicious,” Danse admitted, his stomach rumbling in response as he pulled the chair out for her to sit.</p><p>“I hope it tastes as good,” Nora sighed, lowering herself into the seat as he pushed it forward, ever the gentleman. “I did the best I could with what we have.”</p><p>“If it was made by you, I have no doubts it will be delectable,”</p><p>Nora smiled and blushed, her hands on her lap as she waited for something. Danse stared at her for a moment before remembering another pre-war tradition that often came with dinners such as the one she was obviously trying to recreate. As he took his own seat, he reached for the spoon in the pot and began to dish the contents onto the plate she passed him.</p><p>“Radstag stew,” she explained as Danse began to serve himself. “I added some tatos and carrots and a few spices I asked Carla for a while ago.”</p><p>“Radstag stew,” Danse repeated, grabbing his spoon to take his first bite. As soon as the concoction hit his tongue he nearly gagged.</p><p>“How is it?” Nora’s voice came out high and anxious. Danse managed to force a smile as he swallowed.</p><p>“What– what spices are in this?”</p><p>“That bad?” Nora raised the spoon to her own lips and took a sip. She didn’t bother to hide her disgust or disappointment. “Oh! Oh, my God, that’s– No, no! Don’t!”</p><p>“It’s certainly flavorful,” Danse commented as he managed to down his second spoonful amid Nora’s soft laughter. </p><p>“Stop, Danse. I’ll find us something else.”</p><p>“This is fine,” Danse assured, already spooning his third bite. Before he could raise it to his lips, Nora was rising from the table and scurrying back to the cabinet beside the wood stove.</p><p>“Let’s just skip straight to dessert, hmm?”</p><p>Danse let out a sigh of relief, glad that he was able to avoid hurting the poor woman’s feelings after she had worked so hard to surprise him. His relief tripled when he saw her turn around with a box in her hands and not another dish.</p><p>“Fancy Lad snack cakes,” he said with a smile, his eyes drifting up to hers as she carried the box toward the table.</p><p>“I guess I forgot why I never really cooked much,” Nora admitted as she shook one of the pastries out, tossing the cellophane wrapped treat to Danse.</p><p>“A little practice and taste-testing will certainly get you there,” Danse responded without even thinking. When he realized what he had said, and more importantly <em>how</em> he had said it, he began to try and backtrack on himself. Nora stopped him with another laugh.</p><p>“No, you’re right and you should say it. Practice, taste-testing, and honest opinions. That’s what’s going to make me a better cook.”</p><p>“But in all, I would say this dinner was exactly what we both needed.” Danse finished off his cake and smiled at Nora from across the table. “Good company and good laugh. All in all, makes for a very good night.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Make sure to check out my Tumblr, nuka-after-dark to see more of my works not posted here or to request a work of your own!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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